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How can organizations successfully evaluate online instructor skills and traits?

A survey of students at the end of each class is helpful. I've found periodically looking in on the progress of a class to see if policies aare being followed is aalso useful. Some metrics might be number of postings per student and average response time for grading and student inquiries.

Joseph,
To what extent are academic standards being observed and measured? How do you assess the implementation of the policies you mention and has anyone created a rubric for assessing the effectiveness of delivery and student learning? Have new policies been created to assess your online faculty and take into account the uniqueness of distance delivery in comparison to in- class instruction?
Dr. Robert Roehrich

Our university had a staff person participate in an online program. The faculty member was notified that a staff member would be participating. The staff person then provided bi-weekly feedback to the faculty about the experience. (Note: the staff person had the educational, coaching, and training credentials to assess and deliver feedback.) The feedback included ideas for addressing problems, technical glitches, or breakdowns in the student experience. This information was also shared with the Dean. A post-program review meeting was held with the faculty, Dean, and staff member to assess faculty performance, adjustments to feedback, student engagement, program evaluation results, and the path forward. This was our school's first online program though, so I don't know if this evaluation process is feasible or sustainable especially as our online program portfolio grows.

Veronica,
This is a creative and viable approach for assessing the effectiveness of your online faculty as longh as it's kept in the proper perspective; as a developmental tool. I do like the approach, although I do have a few questions. Was the faculty member advised that the feedback would not be held against him/her in the next performance evaluation? Was the feedback delivered in a concise constructive manner and was it received a non-defensive way? Was the information captured and a "improvement" plan developed to support the faculty member in his/her development? At what point will these types of observations be factored into performance evaluations?
Dr. Robert Roehrich

Yes, the Dean emphasized that this was a developmental tool that was not being used for performance evaluation but for faculty and course development. He also recognized that the entire department would also benefit from the observations as we work on shaping a successful portfolio of online programs. The Feedback was delivered in bi-weekly or monthly emails that captured what went well and what didn't and also provided concrete, thoughtful suggestions for improvement. Luckily the faculty member, who had not taught an online program previously, was very open to the feedback,and quickly made adjustments whenever possible or practical. At the end of the course, a debrief was held in which the faculty member shared insights and learnings with other faculty and administrators. I'm not sure when/if these observations will become part of the formal evaluation process. I'll definitely have to raise that with the Dean. :)

Veronica,
Thank you for elaborating on the process used at your institution for the assessment and development of online faculty. I think others will find this approach very useful in assessing and improving online instruction at their institutions. You have made a valuable contribution to the threads for this course by sharing the description of the process and its application for encouaging successful instructional delivery and faculty development.
Dr. Robert Roehrich

There are some basic means to track and evaluate an online instructor skills and traits based on his performance in different courses and his interaction with the students. The speed with which he responds to students' questions, inquiries and requests while being to the point and helpful is another variable to take into consideration. It is recommended that the instrcutor's interaction with the students be monitored to be able to deduct from it the qualities of his online profile. Also, a aurvey at the end of the course that asks for instructor's evaluation is a good way to assess the instructor's abilities and qualifications.

Micheline,
Thank you for your post. I concur with the strategies you identified. Developing a system of faculty-peer mentoring also provides support and encouragement for online faculty.
Dr. Roehrich

I think that the faculty member's position should have been kept a secret; an instructor will not show how he/she really teaches because of being observed. If you let the faculty member take the course as a regular student, only then will you find out how the instructor really conducts the class.

Pamela,
First you need to establish the criteria to identify what you're looking for in a successful instructor. That criteria should reflect on the manner in which the definition of quality applies to all of your academic programs. Then you can establish measurements that constitute success. To what degree does course completions factor into your evaluations? The same accountability standards that apply to your "traditional" programs should apply to the online environment. Does having an instructor take a course really provide you with the information you need to do an effective evaluation of his/her teaching style, depth of knowledge and ability to teach online?
Dr. Robert Roehrich

We use the Profile XT to initially evaluate on-ground and online teachers. Once they meet the requirements of that they do a mock teacher either in person or over video-conference. If selected they go through an intensive training course

Brian,
This is a great approach! As a former dean who was accountable for hiring faculty, I always had prospective faculty conduct a trial teaching session, which was observed and evaluated by a group of peers and students from an unrelated program. There were times when a person who had a great resume, references and interview failed this "test." It's just one more way of ensuring that you will make an informed decision in the hiring process and increase chances for success. What are the parameters of your new faculty training program and how was it developed?
Dr. Robert Roehrich

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